In urban areas and suburban neighborhoods, there exists a problem of animal excrement littering the streets, parks, and yards. This animal excrement, particularly that from dogs, creates an unpleasant and unhealthy environment.
One solution has been for that person in charge of the animal to follow diligently behind the animal with a scoop or shovel and, when necessary, scoop or shovel the animal excrement from the pavement or grass. This solution is tiresome, marginally effective, and not at all pleasant for the person performing the scooping and others nearby. In addition, animal owners may inadvertently or intentionally fail to be diligent in performing their duties.
Also, it is not uncommon for a pet owner or caretaker or one in charge of animals in a laboratory setting to be in need of a sample of feces from a particular animal. Without a device to collect the feces, the person desiring a sample would be required to obtain the sample using a scoop or shovel and to place the sample in a bag or other suitable container. Furthermore, animal owners often find it necessary to leave animals at home unattended for long periods of time. This situation presents the constant threat of returning to find that the animal has defecated on a carpet or floor. In an attempt to prevent such a mishap, animal owners attempt to confine the animal to a portion of the home where such a mess is easily cleaned, or they attempt to train the animal to use a litter box. The former is not entirely humane or helpful, while the latter has drawbacks such as an unpleasant smell and a scattering of the litter material itself.
The following are examples of prior art animal excrement collectors:
Fong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,419 discloses an animal excrement collector consisting of a harness and a collection envelope wherein the collection envelope is designed to be attached to the harness and dangle behind the animal below the anal opening until the animal enters the normal defecating position at which time the movement of the animal's tail is utilized to open the mouth of the collection envelope and bring the opening into closer proximity with the anus of the animal.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,537,153, 4,779,573, and 5,146,874, all to Vidal, disclose garments designed to be worn by male or female animals to collect and retain feces and urine. The garments, as designed, have an aperture therein to encompass the general region of the buttocks, the tail, and the anus of the animal. The aperture leads to a pouch which is designed to collect and retain animal feces. The Vidal patents also disclose the use of a detachable and disposal collection pouch.
Berardo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,152 discloses a harness designed to be used in conjunction with a disposable plastic bag or other bag wherein the harness permits the bag to be secured near the general hind portion and buttocks of the animal wearing the device permitting the plastic bag to collect and retain the animal feces.
Holley-Donawa, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,148 discloses a harness designed to be used in conjunction with a detachable bag. The harness, which is constructed out of various straps of material, secures a thin flexible ring adjacent to the buttocks of the animal. The opening of a collector bag is then secured between a pair of concentric frames and positioned adjacent the canine's anal opening.
Graham, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,562 discloses a device to collect animal excrement which includes a jacket portion to be worn around the torso of an animal, and an animal excrement collector portion releasably attached to the jacket portion. The collector portion encompasses substantially all of the buttock region of the animal and also extends a sufficient distance under the animal to collect urine. Graham is worn essentially as a diaper for animals.
None of these prior devices teaches or suggests utilizing a curved member to conform to the general shape of the buttocks of an animal to provide a comfortable means for keeping the opening of the excrement collecting bag in close proximity to the anus of the animal to minimize spillage of feces. Due to the deficiencies and limitations of the prior art, applicant's invention is herein presented.